Tribute to my Friend and Brother, Emmanuel Chinwenwo Aguma, SAN
The news of the death of Emmanuel Chinwenwo Aguma SAN, Honourable Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Rivers State on 10th August, 2018 came like a bolt out of the blue.
How our Paths Crossed
My path crossed with the late Emmanuel Chinwenwo Aguma, SAN in 2017 when I was invited by the Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, CON, to join a team of Lawyers to prosecute a case on behalf of the State Government, at the Federal High Court, Abuja. As a result of an opinion I wrote, the late Aguma, SAN called me at about 9.15 am the following day, to express his appreciation for a job well done, and there began our close relationship, such that a day would hardly pass without having a telephone conversation to discuss legal issues and other matters of interest to both of us.
Coincidentally, the late Aguma, SAN and I were both called to the Bar in 1988, and belong to the famous Law School Class of ’88, that has produced Governors, Federal Ministers, Judges, Senior Advocates, several Commissioners in different States, successful business men and a host of other successful men and women.
The Lawyer: A Brilliant and Analytical Mind
The late Emmanuel Aguma, SAN was a brilliant Lawyer, a great strategist with a clear analytical mind, and deep appreciation of legal issues. There was hardly a point of law that was raised, that the late Aguma SAN did not have a case law authority on. As Attorney- General of Rivers State, he did not merely instruct external solicitors on matters involving the State, but also participated in executing the instruction. On one occasion, after a victory in one of the cases we handled for the Government of Rivers State, he called and requested that I initiate a new action on behalf of the Governor of Rivers State. Following the instruction, Aguma, SAN and I retreated to our hotel room, and after a few minutes of brain storming, we commenced preparation of the Court processes. He offered to prepare the supporting affidavit, while I prepared the Originating Summons, the questions for determination, the reliefs and the written address. We worked through the night, and to the amazement of both of us, the Court papers were ready for filing the following morning. Again, to the credit of both of us, we won the case.
Emmanuel Aguma, SAN and I worked together throughout the month of May and June, 2018, before he eventually took ill and had to take time off to seek medical treatment. It is worth mentioning that even in the face of the medical challenge which did not appear to be too serious at the time, he still joined the team of Lawyers in most of our strategy meetings, before he eventually travelled to the United Kingdom for medical care.
In all our telephone conversations while he was in the UK, my friend kept assuring me that he was on the mend, and results from tests carried out so far were good. He always sounded upbeat, and never gave any clue that his health was in any terrible shape. On getting to the UK, I made several attempts to visit him, but he would tell me that he was seeing his team of medical doctors. We spoke few days before his passing, and he promised to call back to confirm when we could meet up, one promise my friend never kept, quite unlike him. There was no clue from his voice, that he was not going to be alive to make that call. One can only then imagine my shock, when I received the news of my friend’s passing.
Emmanuel Chinwenwo Aguma, SAN, a versatile, hardworking and consummate Lawyer, with a brilliant analytical mind, an astute Politician (loyal and committed to the service of his people in Rivers State), devoted and loving husband to his wife Inime, and a great father to his three children, reliable, dependable and trusted friend and brother, Adieu! May your peaceful and gentle soul Rest-In-Peace with our good Lord.